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IEE faculty, fellows, staff, and projects in the news

Ask an expert: Are data centers driving up my electricity bills? | Penn State University

Ask an expert: Are data centers driving up my electricity bills?

| psu.edu

According to Hannah Wiseman, professor of law at Penn State Dickinson Law, homeowners may be in for a shock when they pay their power bills at the end of this month, and not just because of an uptick in air conditioning to stay cool during a record-breaking heatwave. In the following Q&A, Wiseman discussed why data centers use so much power, whether they fare worse in the summertime and what impacted communities or individuals can do to voice their concerns. 

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Penn State Data Commons powers two decades of open science | Penn State University

Penn State Data Commons powers two decades of open science

For more than two decades, the Penn State Data Commons has expanded from an early faculty-led effort to openly share research data into a University-wide repository and support system that now serves nearly 300 faculty members across nine colleges and supported 70 research projects in 2025.

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‘Growing Impact’ podcast discusses tool to identify grid threats, investments | Penn State University

‘Growing Impact’ podcast discusses tool to identify grid threats, investments

A new planning tool under development at Penn State could help keep the lights on as the U.S. electric grid faces growing pressures from extreme weather, renewable energy and data centers, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Seed Grant Projects

Penn State professor Katherine Zipp honored with faculty mentor award | Penn State University

Penn State professor Katherine Zipp honored with faculty mentor award

| psu.edu

Katherine Zipp, associate professor of environmental and resource economics in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has received the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award for postdoctoral scholars from the Penn State Postdoctoral Society.

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Cover art for the Growing Impact podcast episode “Resilient Power Grid Planning” from Penn State’s Institute of Energy and the Environment, showing transmission towers and power lines at sunset.

Growing Impact: Resilient power grid planning

As electricity demand grows and becomes harder to predict, power grid planners face a difficult question: how do they build for a future shaped by extreme weather, renewable energy, and the rapid rise of data centers?

Guests

Seed Grant Projects

Researchers Convert Plastic Waste Into High-Performance Battery Material

Researchers convert plastic waste into high-performance battery material

| openthemagazine.com

Researchers at Penn State have transformed discarded PET plastic bottles into highly ordered synthetic graphite for lithium-ion batteries, offering a cleaner, sustainable alternative to conventional graphite production while reducing plastic waste

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Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams receive 2026 IEE seed grants | Penn State University

Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams receive 2026 IEE seed grants

Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams have received funding through the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) 2026 Seed Grant Program. The program supports basic and applied research that lays the groundwork to pursue external funding and is guided by IEE’s five strategic research themes. This year, the program awarded seed funding to more than 40 researchers across 10 colleges and campuses and 21 departments and units.

Mentions

Seed Grant Projects

Plastic bottles could find new life in batteries as graphite | Penn State University

Plastic bottles could find new life in batteries as graphite

A plastic bottle tossed into a recycling bin could one day help power an electric vehicle, smartphone or renewable energy storage system, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

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War-induced fertilizer shortage may be reducing US soil and water pollution

War-induced fertilizer shortage may be reducing US soil and water pollution

American farmers are expected to plant several million fewer acres of corn in 2026 than they did in 2025, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz throttles a key fertilizer trading corridor, along with the energy and raw materials needed to produce and transport fertilizer.

Authors

Penn State Master Gardeners support pollinator research across Pennsylvania | Penn State University

Penn State Master Gardeners support pollinator research across Pennsylvania

| psu.edu

A Penn State Extension Master Gardener might spend one day helping a home gardener select pollinator-friendly plants and another collecting data that could help researchers better predict which flowers attract bees and butterflies. During National Pollinator Week, June 22-28, Master Gardeners across Pennsylvania continue to support several pollinator-focused research, education and conservation efforts.

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SAFES grants to address Critical Issues Initiatives in College of Ag Sciences | Penn State University

SAFES grants to address Critical Issues Initiatives in College of Ag Sciences

| psu.edu

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, through its Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, known as SAFES, recently announced its latest awards to accelerate the advancement of its Critical Issues Initiatives.

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July 1 symposium to strengthen and expand partnership with African universities | Penn State University

July 1 symposium to strengthen and expand partnership with African universities

| psu.edu

On July 1, Penn State’s Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering, and Design with Africa will host a joint symposium with the African-led Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) to strengthen and expand the Penn State-PASET partnership and collaboration.

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